This has been a difficult year.
I have felt bombarded and overwhelmed by a number of different aspects in my life, but have often found comfort in silence and creativity. Working in philanthropy also had me thinking a lot about legacy lately – how am I giving back, what am I leaving behind? I realized that while I was building a business and building a place for sport philanthropy to grow, I was losing sight of myself and who I am outside of my career. I know it may come as a surprise to most, but I do actually have interests beyond philanthropy and sports, and I wanted a place to capture that. I wanted a space to be creative, to learn and share my thoughts on this big, beautiful world – something I could look back on as a collection of who I was and what I was up to throughout my life.
This year I learnt that when things got hard, the way through was sharing. Being open, honest and vulnerable because inevitably, the people I cared most about were not only there for me, some were struggling themselves and somehow struggling together was better than going at it alone. Here I was speaking the good word of sport – teamwork, family, empowerment, perseverance, health, and confidence – yet I wasn’t walking the walk.
When things get hard for me, I shut down, shut out and turn inwards, which I actually don’t think is a bad thing (in moderation). I’m an introvert and that is my safe space, almost as if I need to get a hold of what’s going on inside my head before I can clearly and articulately convey it. I have never really been a great communicator, sharer or much of a writer (I am somewhat self-conscious of my writing because I never properly learnt English), but I guess you have to start somewhere!
So this is going to be my space to share. Where I will share the things that make me tick, my experiences being an entrepreneur, why philanthropy fuels me, and my never-ending pursuit of the mystical work/life balance. It will be my way to catalogue my crooked and winding path in an effort to build a life that I am proud of, despite how hard it gets. Where you can join me as I get comfortable being uncomfortable. This is why documenting and legacy intrigues me so much – when it gets hard, it is important to stop and reflect on how far you have come.
As of one of my favourite sayings goes ‘learn to rest, not quit, because if I quit now, I will be back to where I started and when I started, I was so desperately wishing to be where I am now.’
Yorumlar